Fans who buy lots of Atlanta Braves tickets will probably have a pretty good idea of which NL East team they think has the best pitching unit. However, the Phillies and the Mets both have their fair share of talented pitchers helping them to get to the top of the NL East. Which team has been pitching the best so far? Let’s take a look at the numbers for these three teams. Then, make sure you either get Phillies, Mets or Atlanta Braves tickets for some of the upcoming games.

Braves: 2008 has seen the Braves get even better from the mound, though some didn’t think that would be possible. The Braves have the best team ERA in the National League (3.57) as of June 3, 2008. They have allowed only 455 hits, the fewest in the NL. Tim Hudson (ERA 3.01) and Jair Jurrjens (3.45) are throwing heat and winning a ton of games. Though John Smoltz has been taken out of the rotation for a while, in five starts he had an ERA of 2.57 with 36 strikeouts. He looked amazing, and when he’s back to full strength the Braves will be even better from the pitcher’s mound. Once Smoltz gets back into the lineup, you’ll want to rush out to get Atlanta Braves tickets from http://www.stubhub.com/atlanta-braves-tickets/ for a game where he’s starting.

Phillies: So far this season the Phillies pitchers have shattered expectations. Team ERA is 3.97, the fifth best in the National League. Cole Hamels is the shining star of the pitching unit thus far. His ERA is 2.61 as of May 23, 2008, he has 65 strikeouts (No. 2 in the NL) and already one of the three pitchers to have a shutout in the NL. The rest of the pitching crew is holding its own, and so as of now, the Phillies are firing on all cylinders heading into the month of June. If you want to see a team with playoff potential, then get some Philadelphia Phillies tickets this year!

Mets: The story this year with the pitching crew has been much like the story last year. While the Mets’ team ERA is better at this point (4.18), the rest of the league has gotten slightly better as well, so the Mets are still ranked 7th in the National League as of June 3, 2008. Most of the other stats for the team, including strikeouts, wins, walks and hits, rank in the middle third of the NL, so they are not exactly that much better than they were last season. Johan Santana has an ERA of 3.20 to go along with 71 strikeouts as of June 3, 2008. John Maine is doing fine as well, with a 3.66 ERA and 54 strikeouts. Billy Wagner has been phenomenal, as he has an ERA of 0.39 with 28 strikeouts after 23 innings and 11 saves. This team has good potential to improve on the pitcher’s mound in the coming months, so don’t be surprised to see the Mets become elite defensively.

With the way these teams are pitching, don’t be surprised to see New York Mets, Philadelphia Phillies or Atlanta Braves tickets for the playoffs, either.